Integrating structural and sedimentological observations with numerical lithospheric models to assess the 3D evolution of the South African continental passive margin
Although the development of passive margins has been extensively studied over decades, significant questions remain on how mantle and crustal dynamics interact to generate the observed margin geometries. Here, the Orange Basin, located on the south-west African continental margin is investigated. Th...
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| Language: | English |
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GFZ
2008
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| Online Access: | http://www.gfz-potsdam.de/bib/pub/str0813/0813.htm http://d-nb.info/993223532/34 http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b103-08138 https://doi.org/10.2312/GFZ.b103-08138 |
| Summary: | Although the development of passive margins has been extensively studied over decades, significant questions remain on how mantle and crustal dynamics interact to generate the observed margin geometries. Here, the Orange Basin, located on the south-west African continental margin is investigated. The basin fill is considered to comprise a classic rift-drift passive margin sequence recording the break-up of Gondwana and subsequent opening of the South Atlantic Ocean. Based on interpreted seismic reflection data, a 3D geological model was first constructed. Subsequently, an isostatic calculation was applied to this geological model to determine the position of the Moho. Isostatic sensitivity tests were applied to the model, and their gravity response was validated. The best-fit model requires dense material in the lower crust and an abrupt change to less dense material near the coast to reproduce the observed gravity field. Freie Univ., Diss.--Berlin, 2008 |
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